Professional people-watching requires extensive note-taking. Ethnographers use their fieldnotes to keep track of everything as they conduct their research. They are writers first and foremost. Learning to write useful fieldnotes, to keep good research notes, is an essential skill for environmental and ecological anthropologists. It is evident from my review of the initial Field Notes … Continue reading Fieldnotes Are Research Notes
Category: mentoring
Something’s Gotta Change
Teaching environmental anthropology can be difficult mentally and emotionally. I didn't get into this field because I felt hopeless. I got in because of my love of natural history and trying to understand why people would continue to make stupid environmental decisions despite knowing the consequences (but that's a post for another day). Yet the … Continue reading Something’s Gotta Change
Happy Academic New Year!
Only 5 more days until the fall term starts at University of Maryland. That means my lazy summer days writing and researching in t-shirts and flip flops while sipping green tea are coming to an end. It is bittersweet. I am super excited to get back into the classroom. Like jittery and happy because of … Continue reading Happy Academic New Year!
What’s Good About a Winding Career Path
When I introduce myself at the start of the term, I always try to give my students a sense of how I became a scholar. A lot of young people seem to think that you must start at point A and there is only one direct path to point B. I know that I thought … Continue reading What’s Good About a Winding Career Path
The Green Participant Observer 